Running your own super fund is not necessarily a difficult task (although recent changes to the super laws have made it more challenging), but you need to keep your wits about you. You may hear a lot a noise about DIY super, and sometimes from people who know nothing about super. Your best defence against bad advice is ... Read more
Comparing super funds
Which superannuation fund is the most suitable for you? In this section, you can learn how to compare super funds in 8 steps, where to find the latest information on fund performance and investment options, and how to discover, and compare, other important features of super funds, such as cost-effective life insurance cover, reasonable super fund fees, and other member services.
If you have not chosen your super fund, then your employer’s super contributions have been paid into a MySuper account, selected by your employer or as stipulated in an industrial award or enterprise agreement. What then happens to your employer’s super contributions (Superannuation Guarantee) when you change jobs?
In this section, you can also discover whether you have the right to choose/change your super fund, and the steps you need to take to make that happen.
Click on the links below for more information on comparing super funds:
- Types of super funds
- MySuper and your super
- Comparing super funds in 8 steps
- Choosing a super fund (fund choice)
- How do I complete a Standard Choice Form?
- Investment performance
- Super fees and charges
- Insurance and super
- Considering an SMSF
Below are some of our key Comparing super funds articles:
Set out below are all SuperGuide articles referring to Comparing super funds.
Lifecycle investment options (returns to October 2018)
If you haven’t chosen your own super fund, or you haven’t actively selected an investment option, then you need to be aware that your super money may not be invested within a traditional default growth investment option (which has at least 60% of your super money invested in growth assets such as shares and listed ... Read more
Investment performance: Latest super returns (to October 2018)
Note: For investment returns over 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 years to 31 October 2018 for 5 main investment options offered by super funds, see Table 1 later in the article. For month-by-month performance data, going back nearly 5 years (58 months), for the 5 main investment options offered by super ... Read more
New authority (AFCA) for super complaints now open for business
Disputes about your superannuation and other finances are often stressful, but until recently, the complexity of the system has made the process even tougher. Working out which of the multiple external dispute resolution bodies was the right one to approach has long been a source of frustration for super fund members ... Read more
Monthly Superannuation Returns Performance Reckoner (for 5 investment options)
You can find out the median monthly investment return of the 5 main investment options available in Australian super funds for at least the past 4 calendar years (from January 2014 through to the latest monthly results). You can also check out our SuperGuide article Investment performance: Latest super returns (to ... Read more
Fund choice: Choosing a super fund without an adviser
The questions that Australians need to ask when considering seeking financial advice when selecting a super fund are: how do I find a good adviser, and how do I know the advice I’m getting is appropriate? One option for resolving the dilemma of finding a good adviser is not to get advice. Anyone can do a lot of the ... Read more
Fund choice: Can my employer insist I join the super fund they use?
Q: I am about to start a new position. I am 67 years old and have an SMSF. My new employer has said I must join the super fund they use and cannot use my SMSF as they have too many employees. It was my understanding I could have the Superannuation Guarantee paid to the super fund of my choice. Would you kindly let me ... Read more
Super for beginners: 8 steps to super success
Merely thinking about your super means you’re straddling the first major hurdle that most Australians face when planning (or not) for their retirement and looking into your future. As an employee, you have your employer helping you with your retirement plans by making compulsory super contributions (Superannuation ... Read more
Super for beginners: Top 10 must-know facts
Ten years ago, in January 2009, we launched the SuperGuide website, and in March 2009 we published the first monthly SuperGuide newsletter. Since that time we have received thousands of questions, from our millions of visitors, on different aspects of superannuation. We try to represent as many questions as possible in ... Read more
Super for beginners, part 4: My son’s super account is bleeding fees
Q: I am inquiring on behalf of my son who is unable to work at this stage of his life. It has been three years since he worked. He doesn’t have much in his super fund and it is going down every year. Is there any way to stop the bleeding of his funds? I will be ever grateful if you could help. It is not clear from ... Read more
Super for Beginners (27 Q&As)
One of SuperGuide’s more popular initiatives has been the development of a ‘Super for Beginners’ section that answers some of the many questions that we receive from those readers who are new to superannuation and new to super’s terminology. The series currently consists of several lead articles, plus 27 Q&As, ... Read more
Super for beginners, part 13: Why pick one industry super fund over another?
Q: I know that industry super funds generally have a good performance – particularly because of low fees, but I wondered, what is the benefit of picking one for your particular industry? I understand how people in some industries may have similar needs but is that really true these days in terms of the distinct ... Read more
